First developed in the 1940s, DEET can be found in most bug sprays used today. Research has shown that, in flies and mosquitoes, the chemical works by interacting with odor receptors that are unique to insects. This research, however, cannot explain how DEET exerts its effect on non-insect species.Human Deetstates, from Rome to DC, use the same trick on a larger scale. Limit our movement toward survival behavior, reduce our avoidance of suicidal behavior. Keep the rational parts of the brain boiling and roiling with constantly CHANGING nonsense. See Github, see Comrade O'Brien.
In a recent paper Vosshall and Dennis show that, like insects, the nematode C. elegans succumbs to confusion when DEET is around. The team also describes the genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying this response, shedding light on how a single chemical might confound the senses of vastly different species.
The presence of DEET limited the worms' movement toward isoamyl alcohol, a chemical that usually attracts them; it also reduced their avoidance of 2-nonanone, a compound that they typically dodge. Still, the worms reacted normally to some other chemicals.
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